Swinging shelf support



Feb. 4, 1958 s. H. CARLSON 2,822,229

SWINGING SHELF SUPPORT Filed 2, 1954 INVENTOR. iffi-Carlson SWINGING SI-ELF SUPPORT Stanley H. Carlson, Tacoma, Wash, assignor to Washington Steel Products, Inc., Tacoma, Wash, a corporation of Washington Application August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,283

Claims. (Cl. 312-27) This invention relates to a swinging shelf support for use in cabinets, desks and like installations. It pertains particularly to a bracket for swing-out shelves to be used under the counters of kitchen cabinets for storing light appliances such as electric mixers and for swinging the same outwardly to substantially counter level when it is desired to use them.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a swinging shelf support or bracket which may be operated easily and which is positive in its operation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a swinging shelf support which is strong and durable, being capable of supporting many times the load which usually is placed upon it.

It is another object of this invention to provide a swinging shelf support which may be locked securely in its elevating working position, but released readily when it is desired to move it to its lowered storage position inside the cabinet.

It is another object of this invention to provide a swinging shelf support which is universally applicable to shelves of all the conventional widths without the necessity of supplying it in different sizes and without the necessity of altering it to fit the shelf.

It is another object of this invention to provide a swinging shelf support which is stable and will not rattle either in use or in storage or when it is being shifted from one position to the other.

It is another object of this invention to provide a swinging shelf support which is safe in operation since it cannot injure the operator and cannot fall down of its own weight when in use.

It is another object of this invention to provide a swinging shelf support which is compact in size and requires a minimum of cabinet space for installation.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of this invention are accomplished will be apparent from the following specification and claims considered together with the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the presently described swinging shelf support; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view in side elevation taken along the line 2-2 of Figure l, of the presently described swinging shelf support illustrated in both its elevated working position and its lowered storage position.

As is apparent from the drawings, the swinging shelf support of this invention is adapted for use in a suitable structure such as the kitchen cabinet 16 provided with a counter 12. Attached to the underside of the cabinet counter are a pair of spaced apart cabinet brackets 14, 16. These may be of identical construction except that one is designed for installation on the right side of the cabinet and the other for installation on the left. The cabinet brackets comprise plates 18, 19, the center of which preferably is open and which are provided with reenforcing ribs 20 and screw holes 22 for attachment to the side wall of the cabinet. Plates 18, 19 are formed with inwardly extending flanges 24, 25 at their tops.

2,822,229 Patented Feb. 4, 1958 "ice These, in turn, have at their outer edges downwardly bent portions or lips 26, 27.

Supporting the shelf 2 are four arms connected for swinging movement to brackets 14, 16. These arms are arranged in pairs, one such pair comprising the upper arm 28, and the lower arm 30, and the other pair comprising the upper arm 32 and the lower arm 33. Although the arms may be mounted for swinging movement in various manners, in the illustrated embodiment one end of each arm is connected through a pin to its respective cabinet bracket.

Thus one end of arm 28 is connected to plate 18 through pin 34, while an end of arm 30 is connected to the same plate through pin 36. The arms on the other side of the assembly are mounted in a similar manner, upper arm 32 being connected to plate 19 by means of pin 38, while arm 33 is .connected to the same plate through pin 39. It is to be noted that the point of connection of one member of each pair of arms is forwardly and upwardly of that of the other member, thereby providing upper and lower arms for supporting the shelf 29.

Arms 28-33 are formed of suitable structural mate'- rial and may be provided with offsets 40-44 to provide clearance. They are of such length as to be swingable outwardly from the cabinet a substantial distance.

Shelf brackets indicated generally at 46, 48 are mounted on the outer ends of the arms. These brackets are dimensioned to support shelf 29 and are pivotally connected to the arms by suitably positioned pivot pins. Thus bracket 46 is connected to arm 28 by means of pin 50 and to arm 36 by means of pin 52. Similarly bracket 48 is attached to arm 32 by means of pin 54 and to arm 33 by means of pin 56. The attachment thus is such that the point of connection of the upper arm of each pair is forwardly and upwardly of that of the lower arm, the spacing corresponding to the spacing of the points of connection of the inner ends of the arms to the cabinet brackets 14, 16. Accordingly the arms are maintained in substantial parallelism at all times.

Shelf brackets 46, 48 in the illustrated form comprise the roughly triangular plates 6%, 62 having inwardly eX- tending flanges 64, 66. The latter are provided with screws 68, 79 for use in attaching shelf 29 to the brackets.

In this manner there is provided an assembly for mounting the shelf in such a manner that it may swing freely from a lower, retracted or storage position within the cabinet to an upper, advanced or working position outside the same and substantially at counter level; Means then are provided for releasably locking the cabinet in its working position.

In the illustrated embodiment such means comprise a pair of spring catches 72, 74 which preferably comprise strips of resilient metal, the outer ends of which are bent to form projections 76, 78 respectively. The shank ends of these catches are affixed to the inner sides of plates 60, 62. Their bent, free ends then extend through openings in the plates into the line of travel of the upper supporting arms.

Accordingly when the catches are in their normal position projecting through the openings, they are engaged by the arms as the latter travel upwardly. Since the arms approach the springs at a slight angle they exert a wedging action as they contact projections 76, 78. This forces the springs inwardly so that the arms are able to pass by them. After they have done so, however, the resiliency of the springs forces the projections back through the openings with the result that the arms, which now lie parallel to the springs, are unable to drop downwardly until the projections have been retracted.

Means also are provided for retracting the catch projections 76, 78 from the openings in plates 60, 62 so that the arms and the shelf which they carry may be lowered. To this end there is provided a trigger 80 mounted for longitudinal movement on the underside of shelf 29 by means of slots 82, 84 and screws 86, 88. The outer end of the trigger has a finger hold 90 positioned conveniently to the edge of shelf 29. Its inner end is formed with an eye 92 through which passes a wire or other flexible member 94.

The ends of wire 94 are connected respectively to the projecting ends 76, 78 of spring catches 72, 74. Accordingly, when trigger 80 is moved outwardly, the projections are withdrawn, permitting lowering of the shelf. However, when the trigger is moved inwardly, the resiliency of the springs again urges their projecting portions outwardly into the path of travel of the swinging arms.

To limit the movement of the arms there are provided stop means which arrest the arms at their upper and lower limits of travel. In the illustrated form, such stop means comprise projections on the outer faces of plates 60, 62. These conveniently may be in the form of arcuate ribs, that on plate 60 being indicated by the numeral 100 and that on plate 62 by the numeral 101. The upper end of the rib thus provides an abutment which engages and stops the upper arm after it has cleared the projection on the springcatch, the shelf being in substantially horizontal position. The lower end of the stop then provides an abutment which engages the lower arm when the arms have swung downwardly, the shelf being retracted. These two functions of stop member 100 are apparent from Figure 2 showing the two positions of the shelf support.

Suitable spring means are provided to counterbalance the shelf and the weight carried thereby, as well as to maintain it in its retracted position until a positive withdrawing force is applied to it. Such means may comprise the coil springs 102, 104 which are stretched between corners of flanges 26, 27 on thecabinet brackets, and studs 106, 108 projecting from the lower arms of the assembly. The points of attachment of the springs to the flanges is slightly back of the points of attachment of the lower arms 30, 33 to the cabinet brackets. As a result, the springs exert a predetermined backward pressure on the shelf when it is in its retracted or storage position.

To enable adjustment of the tension of the springs tocorrespond to the load carried, studs 106, 108 preferably are mounted movably, as by being attached to slides 110, 112. The latter are slidably mounted on their respective arms and are provided with dogs or lugs which enter spaced apart perforations 114, 116, 118 on the arms.

In operation, assuming that the shelf is in its lowered position, it may be elevated by lifting it forwardly and upwardly. Thereupon the arms swing upwardly, depress the projections 76, 78 on spring catches 72, 74 and continue their movement until stopped by contact with the upper ends of stops 100, 101. In this position they clear the spring catches, and the latter snap back into their projecting position, securely locking the arms in place.

When it is desired to lower the assembly, the trigger release 80 is pulled forwardly, thereby acting through line 94 to retract the spring catches. The shelf then is lowered, its motion being retarded by the tension of springs 102, 104 until the arms contact the lower projection of stops 100, 101. Since this station is beyond the vertical position of the arms, springs 102, 104 then act to hold the assembly within the cabinet until such time as it is withdrawn.

It thus will be apparent that by the present invention .1 have provided a swinging shelf support which is adaptable to a variety of installations regardless of the width of the shelves. Furthermore, the support is easy and safe to operate and may be locked in either of its positions, i. e. in its retracted storage position or in its advanced working position. Still further, the support is simple in design and occupies a minimum of cabinet space.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A self-contained swinging shelf support comprising a pair of spaced apart cabinet brackets, four swingable support arms, means for pivotally connecting one end of a pair of said arms to each cabinet bracket with the point of connection of one arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of that of the other arm, thereby providing upper and lower support arms, a pair of spaced apart shelf brackets, means for pivotally connecting the other end of each arm of said pair of arms to the shelf brackets with the point of connection of the upper arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of that of the lower arm, lock means releasably interconnecting at least one of the arms and shelf brackets when th Sh lf is in elevated position, and coil spring means interconnecting at least one of the cabinetbrackets and an intermediate point of one of the arms associated therewith, the ends of the coil spring means being connected to the cabinet bracket and arm at points chosen with respect to the pivot connection of said arm and cabinet bracket such that the coil spring means is moved to opposite sides of said pivotconnection during raising and lowering of the shelf, whereby the coil spring means functions when positioned on one side of the pivot connection to counterbalance a weight placed upon the shelf and to maintain the shelf in raised position, and when positioned onthe opposite side of the pivot connection to maintain the shelf in lowered position.

2. The support of claim 1 including means on the arm for adjustably positioning the point of connection of the coil spring means longitudinally along th a m, .Whereby to adjust the tension of the coil spring means to correspond to the weight supported upon the shelf.

3. A self-contained swinging shelf support comprising a pair of spaced apart cabinet brackets, four swingable support arms, means forpivotally connecting one end of a pair of said arms to each cabinetflbracket with the point of connection of one arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of thatof the other arrn, t hereby providing upper andlower support arms, a pair of spaced apart shelf brackets, means for pivotally connectingthe other end of each arm of said pair ofarms tothe shelf brackets with the point of connection of the upper arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of that of the lower arm, lock means releasably interconnecting at least one of the arms and shelf brackets whenthe shelf is in elevated position, stop means on at least one ofthe shelf brackets positioned for abutment by one of the arms at a predetermined lowered position of the shelf, and coil spring means interconnecting at least one of the cabinet brackets and an intermediate point of one of the arms associated therewith, the ends of thecoilspring means being connected to the cabinet bracket andarm at points chosen with respect to the pivot connection of said arm and cabinet bracket such that the coil spring means is moved to opposite sides of said pivot connection during raising and lowering of the shelf, whereby the coil spring means functions whenpositioned on one side of the pivot connection to counterbalance a weight placed upon the sheif and to maintain the shelf in raised position, and when positioned on the opposite si de of the pivot connection to maintain the shelf in lowered position with the arm in abutment with the stop means.

4. A self-contained swinging shelf support comprising a pair ofspaced apart cabinet brackets, fourswingable supportarms, means forrpivotally connecting oneend of a pair of said arms to each cabinet bracket with the point of connection of one arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of that of the other arm, thereby providing upper and lower support arms, a pair of spaced apart shelf brackets for supporting a shelf, means for pivotally connecting the other end of each arm of said pair of arms to the shelf brackets with the point of connection of the upper arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of that of the lower arm, a spring catch mounted on each shelf bracket and movable with respect to the latter to intercept one of the support arms whereby to interconnect the support arm and shelf bracket when the latter is in raised position, a catch release trigger adapted to be mounted on a shelf intermediate the spaced shelf brackets for movement substantially parallel to said spring catches, and a flexible cord engaging the catch release trigger and extending laterally from both sides thereof a distance sufficient for connection at its ends to the said spaced spring catches, whereby movement of the trigger in one direction causes the catches to engage their respective arms and movement of the trigger in the opposite direction causes the catches to be released from engagement with their respective arms.

5. A self-contained swinging shelf support comprising a pair of spaced apart cabinet brackets, four swingable support arms, means for pivotally connecting one end of a pair of said arms to each cabinet bracket with the point of connection of one arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of that of the other arm, thereby providing upper and lower support arms, a pair of spaced apart shelf brackets for supporting a shelf, means for pivotally connecting the other end of each arm of said pair of arms to the shelf brackets with the point of connection of the upper arm of each pair being forwardly and upwardly of that of the lower arm, a spring catch mounted on each shelf bracket and movable with respect to the latter to intercept one of the support arms whereby to interconnect the support arm and shelf bracket when the latter is in raised position, a catch release trigger adapted to be mounted on a shelf intermediate the spaced shelf brackets for movement substantially parallel to said spring catches, a flexible cord engaging the catch release trigger and extending laterally from both sides thereof a distance sufficient for connection at its ends to the said spaced spring catches, whereby movement of the trigger in one direction causes the catches to engage their respective arms and movement of the trigger in the opposite direction causes the catches to be released from engagement with their respective arms, stop means on at least one of the shelf brackets positioned for abutment by one of the arms at a predetermined lowered position of the shelf and at a predetermined raised position of the shelf, and coil spring means interconnecting at least one of the cabinet brackets and an intermediate point of one of the arms associated therewith, the ends of the coil spring means being connected to the cabinet bracket and arm at points chosen with respect to the pivot connection of said arm and cabinet bracket such that the coil spring means is moved to opposite sides of said pivot connection during raising and lowering of the shelf, whereby the coil spring means functions when positioned on one side of the pivot connection to counterbalance a weight placed upon the shelf and to maintain the shelf in raised position with the arm in abutment with the stop means and when positioned on the opposite side of the pivot connection to maintain the shelf in lowered position with the arm in abutment with the stop means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

